Need Help Deciding which Resort

[mlamanna1701]

My wife and I are planning a WDW vacation for December 2013 for 4 or 5 days. We are having such a hard time deciding which resort would be best. We have only been to WDW once and stayed at the Polynesian. We ended up booking the Honeymoon Room because my wife wanted to experience the Polynesian but I wanted a king-size bed. This room was the only least expensive room with a king-size bed.

We will be spending most of our time at Epcot (since we did not have much time our first visit to experience the countries) and the Boardwalk area. We will also probably visit Animal Kingdom for a day and part of one day at Hollywood Studios.

I did not really want to spend too much for the hotel and looked into several moderate resorts. I ended up narrowing it down to Port Orleans and the Coronado Springs. After mentioning this to my wife, she thought it would be best to stay in the Epcot area and stay at either the Boardwalk Inn, Beach Club or the Yacht Club.

I have read so many reviews with both positive and negative comments about each resort and am concerned about some of the negative. For example, at the Boardwalk Inn, there were quite a bit of negative comments about the noise staying at the Boardwalk Inn because of the people and the performances on the boardwalk. I also saw some pictures of various rooms and found that bathroom to be small, with the toilet and bathtub so close. Is this standard with most resorts? My only experience with a bathroom was in the Honeymoon Room and there was quite a bit of space.

I am also concerned about not getting a king-size bed. I found some resorts charge more for a room with a king-size bed than a standard room with an option of two queen or one king. This makes me wonder that there might be a strong possibility that if I get a standard room with a preference of a king-size bed that I may not get it and be stuck with two queen beds. Has anyone had any experiences that the preference was not honored at check-in?

I eventually came accross the Deluxe Room in the Garden Wing of the Contemporary. I am just not sure whether I would want to spend so much money for this room (although this room type only has a king-size bed) and whether it is worth it. I am concerned that I would be wasting so much time travelling from the Garden Wing to the Epcot (since we will be spending most time there).

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I am sorry for the ramble. I have been researching the resorts for almost two weeks and am not any closer to making decision. There are so many pros and cons to each resort and I just cannot decide. I will probably need to make a decision very soon since the rooms will become available with the 499 day in advance policy.

Thank you for any assistance you can provide.

 

[spiceycat]

would go in your case with 1-bedroom BWV - dvc resort.you rent a reservation from a dvc member and it should be less than a regular standard room.

go to the dvc rent/trade board and read all the sticky - so you know before you start looking what you are getting into.

all the 1-bedrooms are guaranteed to have a king bed in the master. big master bathroom.

picked bwv over bcv because you mentioned both Epcot and Studios.

most of disney regular rooms have 2 queen beds - some even have 2 double beds (full size). lots of time the king beds are for handicapped - so would think a DVC resort would work better for you.

 

[MMS1125]

Epcot isn't bad from the CR Just hop the monorail to TTC then switch to the Epcot monorail.

If you are planning on spending the majority of your time at Epcot I would def look into staying at an Epcot resort. You can request a king room but aren't guaranteed one. However if a king bed is a higher priority or a must to you then I'd def go where you are guaranteed a king sized bed.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

You should also consider the Swan and Dolphin.

 

[Princess-ish]

I'll second the option of renting DVC points to stay in a 1 bedroom at BWV... it seems to be the most "ideal" option with everything your looking for (Epcot Resort, king bed, spacious bath, etc).

Noise at the BWI/BWV is rarely an issue unless your room overlooks the actual boardwalk. Its always added a nice ambiance to the Boardwalk view rooms though.

You can always book the BWI, and request a King. It's simply a request though, and if the resort can't honor it, you'll be placed in a room with 2 queens. I know a couple who switched to a King room the next day (wasn't available at check-in)... and another who was placed in a handicap accessible king room... neither of which our enticing options to us.

We've given up on the "king bed" battle at Disney!

 

[mlamanna1701]

Thanks everyone for your advice. I am looking into the DVC.

 

[kddisney502]

I would suggest calling because some resorts have other room types that can't be booked online.

For example, we stayed in a CR king garden wing room earlier this year. It is different than the deluxe king because it's a standard room size but with a king instead of queens. You pay slightly more than a standard room, but less than the king deluxe. You have to call to get this room because there are only a few rooms like this as CR, so it doesn't make sense for them to have a seperate category for online booking.

 

[maryj11]

What about the Beach Club you will be in walking distance to Epcot and close to HS. I'm not sure how the bus is to AK, but have read it is a pain going to MK. I haven't never stayed here but have read a lot about it.

 

[mlamanna1701]

What about the Beach Club you will be in walking distance to Epcot and close to HS. I'm not sure how the bus is to AK, but have read it is a pain going to MK. I haven't never stayed here but have read a lot about it.

Thanks for the suggestion Mary. I was considering the Beach Club, but there is no king guarantee. My wife does not want to chance not getting a king.

 

[mlamanna1701]

I would suggest calling because some resorts have other room types that can't be booked online.

For example, we stayed in a CR king garden wing room earlier this year. It is different than the deluxe king because it's a standard room size but with a king instead of queens. You pay slightly more than a standard room, but less than the king deluxe. You have to call to get this room because there are only a few rooms like this as CR, so it doesn't make sense for them to have a seperate category for online booking.

It is funny you should mention that. I came across the CR Garden Wing room categories earlieronly a short while before the reservation department was scheduled to close. I saw a king category and deluxe room (which comes with a king) and called WDW to inquire about these rooms. For some reason, they are both the same price, although the deluxe room is bigger. That confused me a bit. I may consider the garden wing if I decide not to pursue the DVC.

I was also hoping to get a AAA discount applied to my package, but when I asked about the discount, I was told that the AAA discount could only be applied to a room only reservation. Annd if I do this, I cannot have travel insurance, which I do want. I did not know there would be so many decisions to make and restrictions in what I thought would be a simple vacation to book.

 

[maryj11]

Thanks for the suggestion Mary. I was considering the Beach Club, but there is no king guarantee. My wife does not want to chance not getting a king.

Ok I didnt know that you may not be able to get a king bed here. I thought most resorts had that option.

 

[mlamanna1701]

Ok I didnt know that you may not be able to get a king bed here. I thought most resorts had that option.

That's ok Mary. I learned so much these past 2 weeks. I found it odd that many WDW planners did not even know that a king category existed in several resorts. The only other resorts besides the CR that I came across with a king category were the CB, CS, POR, POFQ, and WL. My wife and I wanted to stay near Epcot so we are very limited. I suggested just booking either the YC or BC to my wife, but she rather not because king is not guaranteed.

 

[Tink415]

I would book a king room at CSR, CBR, POR in that order, or the Dolphin if a king bed is a must.You won't get Magical Express at the Dolphin but you will be in the Epcot Resort area. I don't like the pool at POFQ so I didn't include it

 

[mlamanna1701]

I looked into the CSR and the POR. I really like the room decor in the CSR...assuming all rooms are like the images on the WDW website. But I was kind of turned off by the CSR because of many reviews I came across...many people said it was overcrowded because of the conventions and also that the food court is not good anymore. How is the transportation from the CSR to the parks?

 

[MMS1125]

Can you not book AAA and get travel insurance on your own? It's usually cheaper going with somebody besides Disney for the insurance. I'm not familiar with the parameters of booking with AAA I've never used them but I've never used Disney for travel insurance. You can definitely find it cheaper

 

[MMS1125]

There's a few CSR threads floating around but I wouldn't worry about conventions. The people attending aren't on the buses going to the parks really since they are in the convention all day I love CSR it's probably the closest mod to a deluxe IMO. We have stayed at CSR a few times and have had great bus service. I like the food court. Good selection of foods in the cafe and a nice sit down restaurant. There's going to be good and bad things from people about every resort so don't let the bad you read turn you completely off to a resort if you think it's somewhere you will enjoy.

 

[mlamanna1701]

Can you recommend any travel insurance companies? I actually had to put in a travel insurance claim 2 years ago on a policy that we purchased through WDW. I am concerned about the fine print though. My wife and I planned a trip in 2010 to go to WDW but my wife got injured the day before we were scheduled to leave. We had extended our trip by two days and were forced to book a 2-night room only at a different resort because there was no availability at the resort we booked. Luckily we had the insurance, however, since the insurance was part of the vacation package, it did not cover the room only reservation. If I purchase the insurance separately, would it cover the airline tickets, park tickets and hotel room, even if purchased at separate times? Do you know when I would need to purchase the insurance? Thanks.

 

[mlamanna1701]

There's a few CSR threads floating around but I wouldn't worry about conventions. The people attending aren't on the buses going to the parks really since they are in the convention all day I love CSR it's probably the closest mod to a deluxe IMO. We have stayed at CSR a few times and have had great bus service. I like the food court. Good selection of foods in the cafe and a nice sit down restaurant. There's going to be good and bad things from people about every resort so don't let the bad you read turn you completely off to a resort if you think it's somewhere you will enjoy.

That is what I am finding out. Every resort I look into I am finding posts listing many positives and negatives about them.

 

[MMS1125]

allianz dot com
insuremytrip dot com

I've used them both

I think you get the most coverage buying within a week or two of booking your trip. Pretty sure you can add it anytime (although I'm not positive if there's a cut off limit before your trip) I do know unless it's changed recently that Disney's insurance doesn't cover delays or flight cancellations unless you buy your airline tickets thru Disney. We drive so I'm not sure if that's still the case.

 

[MMS1125]

CSR is probably the resort I got the best sleep in if that matters. The beds are very comfy